Ginger Men Are Having All the Sex, and Here’s Who They Can Thank

Redheads have historically had a tough go of it. For one, we know them better as “gingers” and even “daywalkers” (thanks South Park), and no other hair color has a demeaning nickname anywhere close to those. Plus, the 1 to 2 percent of the human population with red hair inherently has a host of health risks: Thanks to a variation in the MC1R gene, redheads are more likely to develop skin cancer and Parkinson’s and are more sensitive to pain, for example.

But it’s not all bad news for gingers—particularly men with red manes. It turns out male redheads are having more sex ever since one of their own has become a global superstar, according to British research.

That would be, of course, one Ed Sheeran, the 26-year-old English crooner whose “Shape Of You,” among several other top-10 smashes, has been inescapable this year. In a highly, highly unscientific study—commissioned, no less, by an online casino called Casumo.com—20 percent of British ginger men aged 25 to 34 have received “more sexual attention” since Sheeran came to prominence in the beginning of this decade, per NME.

In the poll, the redheads even said they’ve been subjected to fewer cruel jokes in the wake of Sheeran’s fame. Never say the pop star only has the best interests of his female fans at heart.

Women are even approaching ginger men at a higher rate post-Sheeran, according to a separate survey conducted by OnePoll.com. When pollsters asked ladies what they thought of redheads—which was, pardon my pun, really playing with fire—more than a third said Sheeran has changed their overall perception of the breed for the better, with one in 20 even saying they prefer the hair color over any other. Hey, good for you, daywalkers!